U.S. Rugby Star Ilona Maher Doesn't Appear to be Dating Anyone at the Moment

Every four years, the Olympics make stars of a number of athletes who otherwise compete in fairly obscure sports. One of the breakout stars of the most recent games was Ilona Maher, who won bronze for the U.S. in rugby sevens and is now competing for the mirrorball trophy on Dancing with the Stars.

Ilona's appearance on the show has some wondering whether the athlete is currently in a relationship. Here's what we know about whether she's dating anyone and what she's said about her love life.

Ilona appears to be single at the moment, or is at least keeping any relationship she might be in off of social media. In fact, while she was in Paris for the Olympics, Ilona made several viral videos about the fact that she was looking for love while she was there. In one video, she said that she was already planning a wedding after a man came up and talked to her at the Olympic Village. She also dropped a Love Island reference in the video.

As her videos went viral on the platform, some suggested that Ilona should be a contestant on The Bachelorette. Whether that happens or not, Ilona seems to be riding her social media virality to plenty of related success. And, given how many fans she's amassed online since she started posting at the Olympics, it seems possible that she could wind up going pretty far on Dancing with the Stars with support from viewers at home.

After she became a viral sensation online, Ilona naturally required plenty of haters, including some on the right who "investigated" her and suggested that she was trans. She is not trans, and she responded to those suggestions by defending her body and the comfort she feels in it. Ilona is not here for your gender norms.

“All body types matter. All body types are worthy,” she said in the video. “From the smallest gymnast to the tallest volleyball player, from a rugby player to a shot-putter, a sprinter. All body types are beautiful, can do amazing things. Truly see yourself in these athletes and know that you can do it too.”

Ilona also graced the most recent Sports illustrated swimsuit issue, and even used her bronze medal as a prop.

Ilona is apparently looking for love, but for now, she's also focused on empowering those who follow her and hopes to turn her social media stardom into a full-time career in the world of sports.

She has already scored brand deals with several major companies, and she is clearly interested in finding ways to parlay her rugby stardom into a viable career path.

In spite of her incredible athleticism and skill, rugby is simply not the kind of sport that has a massive audience in the United States. Thanks to Ilona, though, it's a sport that many are more interested in than they were six months ago.